Reliability & cost of ownership
Harley-Davidson Road King Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Harley-Davidson Road King? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars where on file — then open the year you're shopping for its AI reliability outlook where NHTSA has enough data.
Harley-Davidson Road King problems by model year
1 recall entry across 1 model year and 25 owner complaints across 4 model years on file, sourced from the federal NHTSA database. We couldn't confirm the NHTSA recall list for the remaining 3 model years — check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Road King | 1 | 10 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2003 Road King | Not confirmed | 1 | No overall rating on file | Recalls & complaints → |
| 2002 Road King | Not confirmed | 6 | No overall rating on file | Recalls & complaints → |
| 2001 Road King | Not confirmed | 8 | No overall rating on file | Recalls & complaints → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Harley-Davidson Road King, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- electrical system4 complaints
- service brakes, hydraulic4 complaints
- suspension4 complaints
- equipment3 complaints
- wheels2 complaints
- engine and engine cooling2 complaints
- fuel system, gasoline2 complaints
- fuel/propulsion system1 complaint